Great Falls tribune., 1887-02-12
FUNNY FIGURING

For absurdity, pure and simple, we com
mend the railroad article published in the
current number of the Montana Woo5
Gros0er. 1t was the evident purpose Of
the editor to ridicule the statement made
by Col. BroadWater some weeks ago, that
1.-The Manitoba would expend $S,0oO,000 in
railroad construction in Montana the pres
ent year" But instead, he has made a
display of dense and objectionable igno-
rance which has seldom been equaled,
surely meyer surpassed. He says:
"Tho Canadian Pacific in one season
moved 100000 yards of dirt; the Eani-
toba proposes to move between Fort Bu-
ford and Butte 100000 of divtthe coming
season. AT Is cents per yard this grading
will cost over 81 100000; and track laying
and bridge building may bring the sum
up to $1,500,00O. Right of way. station
and tank building, and all other equip
nlents and rolling stock, will nearly double
this sum--that is, make 1t $3.0oe.00u.
This figure would bring the cost OF this
six hundred miles of road equipped, to the
very large figure Of $4,000 per mile.
Where is Col BroadWateT going to have
the Manitoba put that So,000,0O0?''
What intelligence! Tie lowest estimate
made by the engineers of the amount Of
dirt to be moved on the line between Great
Falls and Fort Buford, exceeds by 1,O00,-
900 wards the above figures, while the
cost OF constructing the remaining 10
miles, between Great Falls and Butte will
cost more than to build the entire road
from this point to the Dakota lire.
The editor then figures away In a sort
CT rambling manner, Jumps it altogether
including construction, right of way, roll
ing stock and all other equipments for
this six hundred miles of road, and makes
it cost the modest sum of Three million
do1ars. Get the saints protect us) and then
wants to know "where Col Broadwater
is going to have the Manitoba put that
SS,CO0,O00?n AS the champion of the
wool growers, Bro Peck may be able to es-
innate pretty accurately how many pounds
of wool a yearling wether will clip, but
when he touches upon railroads he be-
comes wild and reckless. Had he taken
the precaution to inform himself on rail-
road construction, we think his article
would not have appeared with all its
slaring and ridiculous absurdities.
The estimated cost Of construction of
the line between Grea+ Falls and Butte
amounts to nearly $5,000,000! The
tunnels alone will cost more than Bro.
Peck estimates for the grading of the en-
tire six hundred miles. Besides this there
are still 43O miles to build, between this
point and Fort Buford, at an estimated
cost of s2,225,000, and then comes the
cost Of equipment, rolling stock, right of
way, stations, bridges, ties, rails, ETC.,
which will amount to $5,000,00o at the
least calculation making the total cost of
construction and equipment of the Mani
toba railroad in Montana, as projected,
fully 912ooo,ooo, or 100000 per mile.
We trust Bro. Peck will correct his
misstatement at an early date, otherwise
it may work a great hardship on our fair
territory. There are any number of east
ern capitalist who are anxious to invest in
railroads that will not cost equipped, to
to exceed $4,000 per mile, and if it should
become generally known that railroads
can be built for that figure in Montana, it
would be only few years until every
quarter section would be crossed by paral-
lei roads, greatly to the detriment of the
range industry!
ruuu J,Te,yr CpJDCs nrESrJaN